Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Tillage On Wheat Canopy, Stephanie Adanna Anyanwu

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Wheat canopy cover and greenness are useful crop performance indicators that provide significant insight into the performance of wheat crops. Understanding the effects of no-till and conventional tillage practices on winter wheat canopy cover and greenness will help inform agronomic decision making in wheat production. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the effects of no-till and conventional tillage practices on wheat canopy cover and greenness using drones. Wheat canopy cover mapping was carried out using deep learning supervised classification. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), green normalized difference vegetation index (GNDVI) and optimized soil adjusted vegetation …

Effects Of Straw Return On Crop Yield, Soil Organic Carbon And Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Maazeera Fatima

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Global crop residue production was substantial, at approximately 3758 × 106 mg annually. The practice of straw return, was found to enhance soil organic matter content, increase crop yield, and mitigate soil greenhouse gas emissions. However, individual studies showed inconsistent results. While meta-analyses synthesized multiple individual studies and provided overall effects of straw return, but their conclusions were varied. We evaluated meta-analyses on the effects of straw return on crop yield, soil organic carbon, and greenhouse gas emissions and proposed a grand mean response ratio to estimate an overall effect and the impacts of different properties. The result showed that …

Identification And Functional Verification Of Powdery Mildew Resistant Genes In Hydrangea Macrophylla, Christina Jennings

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Ornamental plant production is a continuously expanding industry in the United States and worldwide. Hydrangea species are highly valued in ornamental plant production, especially bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla). Powdery mildew is of particular interest on bigleaf hydrangea as there are no resistant varieties. The causal agent of powdery mildew of bigleaf hydrangea is Golovinomyces orontii (formerly Erysiphe polygoni). The goal of this research was to provide solutions for powdery mildew disease of hydrangea through improved chemical control, development of laboratory-based research systems, and identification of genes related to powdery mildew. A detached-leaf assay was developed and evaluations correlated to whole …

Influence Of Parental Approval And Disapproval On Interracial Relationship Outcomes, Stefanie Boakye

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Interracial couples may encounter unique challenges in their relationships due to negative perceptions such as racial prejudice, discrimination, disapproval, cultural stereotypes, and opposition from society and family. These challenges can be especially difficult when the disapproval comes from their parents. This study explored how perceived parental approval influences interracial romantic relationship outcomes, specifically relationship satisfaction, commitment, and closeness. Data were collected from individuals in interracial relationships (N ≈ 80) using the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS), the Investment Model Scale (IMS), the Relationship Closeness Inventory (RCI), and the Parent-Adult Child Relationship Questionnaire (PACQ). A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted …

A Case Study Of Public Policy, Neighbourhood Change, And Transit Equity Outcomes, Stacy-Ann Baker

Tennessee State University Alumni Theses and Dissertations

Despite intentions or understatement, public policy has influenced neighbourhood change, such as gentrification. However, its impact tends to be muted, ignored, or underappreciated. Transit equity policy and research have also lacked a robust social justice framework that considers spatial justice. Additionally, there have been several knowledge gaps, limitations, and mixed results regarding impacts, notably concerning buses, bus rapid transit (BRT), accessibility, and communities of concern. Unlike other studies, this dissertation proposal employs the social-ecological system framework (SESF), the public transportation sustainability list (PTSIL), and sustainability impact assessment (SIA) guidance from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in a …

Categorial Declinations & Democracy, Brenner M. Fissell

Faculty Publications

The most contentious action taken by reform prosecutors has been the issuance of categorical declination policies. Opponents decry this as bureaucratic nullification of democratically enacted offenses, while the prosecutors themselves counter that they are responding to the will of their local electorate. Democracy claims, it appears, have taken center stage in this debate, and they are deployed by both sides. How should we think about democracy and categorical declinations? The most comprehensive scholarly work on this subject is a 2021 article by Professor Kerrel Murray. In this essay, I hope to continue the work begun by Murray, offering additional insights …

Strengthening The International Competitiveness Of Capital Markets: Global Insights And Local Strategies, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Global capital markets are undergoing a profound transformation. Over the past decade, there has been a marked decline in Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) in most advanced economies, including those with highly developed capital markets such as the United Kingdom and the United States. Interestingly, during the same period, countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and particularly China, have witnessed a significant increase in the number of listed companies, contributing to making Asia home to approximately 55% of all listed companies worldwide. The decline in IPO activity has prompted many countries and regions around the world, including the United Kingdom, the United …

Korea’S Unification: Unifying Visionary Leadership, Paul Hong

KAUPA Letters

This third essay highlights the critical role of unifying visionary leadership in advancing Korea’s unification—a goal that cannot be achieved through policy frameworks or economic integration alone. While shared history, language, and culture provide the foundation for national unity, it is bold and ethical leadership that transforms these foundations into strategic action and reconciles entrenched ideological and institutional divides. A brief analysis of prominent figures in Korean history—Dangun, Kim Choonchu, Wang Geon, Yi Seong-gye, King Sejong, Yi Sun-sin, Kim Gu, Syngman Rhee, and Park Chung-hee—reveals recurring leadership traits such as moral authority, long-term vision, cultural stewardship, and inclusive governance. These …

Practicing The Art And Craft Of Screenwriting: Analysis And Opportunity From A Faith-Informed Perspective, Kevin R. Crawford

KAUPA Letters

This paper describes the commitments and standards of practice required by those wishing to write from a faith-informed perspective – particularly, a Christian worldview frame. It highlights elements of Minkyu Lee’s award-winning animation Adam and Dog (2011) by way of illustration and argues a new role for faith-informed storytelling that correctly resists the temptation to preach especially in a world where any project deemed to promote an organized religious agenda, however simple or subtle, is apt to be ridiculed, marginalized, and ignored.

Routine Antenatal Ultrasound By Nurse-Midwives In Rural Kenya: A Pragmatic Trial Assessing Feasibility And Effects Of The Mimba Yangu (My Pregnancy) Project, Claudia Hanson, Lucy Nyaga, Nidhi Leekha, Michaela Mantel, Sarah Kedenge, Caroline Gitonga, Violet Naanyu, Jasmit Shah, Marleen Temmerman

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

Introduction: Task-sharing of obstetric ultrasound between nurse-midwives and doctors has the potential to operationalize the World Health Organization’s recommendation of at least one ultrasound before 24 weeks of gestational age for every pregnant woman. Here, we report on the feasibility, acceptability, and effects of the Mimba Yangu (My Pregnancy) task-sharing approach in rural Kenya.

Methods: We conducted a pragmatic trial including 28 primary care facilities between April 2021 and March 2022, selected based on feasibility criteria. Fourteen facilities received the ultrasound intervention composed of (i) task-sharing with nurse-midwives, (ii) the use of portable ultrasound devices (Lumify™) connected to a tablet, …

A Democracy Denied—Act 236’S Unconstitutional Restriction On Arkansas’S Initiative And Referendum Rights, Megan Prettyman Halford

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Bars To Asylum For Disabled And Criminalized Noncitizens: Particularly Serious Crimes And Mental Health Evidence In Immigration Court After Matter Of B-Z-R-, Elizabeth Jordan

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

A criminal conviction can prohibit a noncitizen from accessing certain forms of relief from deportation in immigration court. Notably, certain convictions may bar a noncitizen from asylum. But what happens when that conviction is based on the manifestation of mental health disabilities? This Article is the first to explore and critique the current immigration law framework for accounting for the criminalization of a noncitizen’s mental health disability, focusing primarily on the Attorney General’s recent decision In re B-Z-R- and the missed opportunity it represents to ensure that criminalized, disabled noncitizens are still able to access justice in the form of …

Time’S Up: Limiting Employer Retaliation Over K-12 Teachers’ Speech In An Internet That Never Forgets, Megan Listenbee

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Representation In The Age Of Repression: America’S Real Immigration Crisis Is The Lack Of Representation In Immigration Court, Paul Wickham Schmidt

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Narrative Drip And Other Metaphors For Data-Resistant Immigration Enforcement, Matthew Boaz

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Queer And Present Danger: Reconceiving Arkansas’S Artificial Insemination Laws To Protect Lgbtq Families, Chacey Schoeppel Wilcox

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Equity Gaps In Information Literacy: A Case Study And Methodological Exploration, Sarah P.C. Dahlen, Joy Hopkins Camp

Library Faculty Publications and Presentations

Equity gaps are disparities in educational outcomes and access to opportunities that are rooted in systemic inequities. Higher education has been attentive to equity gaps in course grades, grade point average, and graduation and retention rates, but less so to gaps in specific academic outcomes. This study investigates how equity gaps can be measured in information literacy, a core academic competency, by conducting a case study using rubric scores of student papers. Various measures of equity gaps are employed and evaluated to provide guidance for future work in this area. While no equity gaps were identified in this sample, considerations …

Evaluation Of Systemic Immune Inflammation Index, Halp Score, Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio And Platelet-Lymphocyte Ratio In Pediatric Burned Patients, Gül Doğan, Hülya İpek, Mehmet Metin, Nurcan Çoşkun, Çağatay E. Afşarlar

Saudi Medical Journal

ABSTRACT Objectives: To evaluate whether there is any relationship between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio(PLO), systemic immune -inflammation (SII) level and HALP score and the location of involvement, surface width, burn degree in pediatric burn patients to investigate the effect on prognosis. Methods: After obtaining institutional ethical committee approval, a retrospective analysis was conducted on 192 pediatric cases (under 18 years old) treated for burns in our hospital from December 2018 to December 2023. Hemoglobin, leukocyte, neutrophil, platelet and albumin levels. Simultaneously NLR, PLR, SII and HALP scores were calculated. Results: Post-hoc test results revealed that the NLR values in …

Inside Ai, Charles Duan

Contributions to Books

It is beautiful, the Mandelbrot set. In full, it resembles a horseshoe crab or a sideways Rorschach test, flecked with patterns of spikes and lobes. Zooming in at any point near its edge reveals infinite depths of swirls, reminiscent of Van Gogh’s Starry Night or an intricate paisley textile. The shape could easily hang on a wall, an example of fine abstract art. Yet the entirety of that shape can be computed by repeated application of a simple mathematical function:2 f(x) = x2 + c. Is all the beauty and complexity of the Mandelbrot set “inside” the symbols …

Imperial Knowledge Production At The Philippine Bureau Of Science, 1902 To 1913, Rowena Anthea Azada-Palacios

Ateneo Institute for The Science and Art of Learning and Teaching

This paper will examine the career trajectories of American expatriate scientists working for the insular Bureau of Science in the Philippines from the period 1912 until 1913 (the year Woodrow Wilson assumed the US presidency). Drawing on their annual reports, scientific publications, and archived correspondence, I will focus on how, beyond the utilitarian economic extractivist mandate of these scientists’ work, they were also able to use inter-imperial networks to help elevate US science beyond applied agriculture, ultimately constituting a more epistemic form of extractivism.

Combining Life Grid With Biographical Narrative Approach In Reconstructing Living Situation Of Metro Manila’S Street Dwellers, Melissa Q. Navarra, Irene Reyno, Wander Van Der Vaat

Institute of Philippine Culture (IPC)

Engaging homeless populations in biographical research is often hindered by the deep-seated distrust and trauma that characterize their lived experiences. This study introduces a methodological approach that transforms this hurdle, turning the research interview into an empowering and collaborative encounter. Using a combination of the Life History Calendar (LHC) and biographical narratives, we explored the complex life transitions of 15 individuals living on the streets and in a cemetery of Metro Manila, Philippines. The LHC served as a co-constructed visual scaffold, enabling participants with low educational attainment and histories of trauma to recall and structure their life stories with remarkable …

Issue 22: Actors Overlooked In Economic Integration: Syrian Refugee Single Mothers In Turkey, Ayşe Perihan Kırkıç, Fatmanur Delioglu

International Migration Research Centre

Syrian refugees in Turkey are struggling with integration, as policies fail to address holistic approaches, especially at they pertain to class and gender. Previous research on this topic has focused on legal rights, employment, the impacts on Turkey's labor market, and local perceptions of Syrian refugees in the workforce. This policy paper addresses a significant gap in the integration of Syrian refugee single mothers. Specifically, this research explores how economic integration is influenced by class and gender. To understand their experiences, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Syrian refugee single mothers residing in Istanbul. We argue that the economic integration of …

Investigation Of Motor Neuronal And Circuit Level Mechanistic Determinants Of Spinal Excitability Following Cst Injury, Thelma Bethea

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The corticospinal tract (CST) is the primary descending motor pathway in mammals, essential for precise, dexterous movements, especially in humans and nonhuman primates. Damage to the CST, such as from spinal cord injury (SCI), impairs skilled motor function and triggers maladaptive changes including aberrant proprioceptive afferent sprouting and increased spinal excitability. These changes are closely linked to both muscle weakness and the development of hyperreflexia, compounding the functional deficits. Animal models of SCI are valuable for investigating mechanisms of injury and recovery, though traditional models often limit the ability to isolate circuit-specific contributions. To address this, I employed selective unilateral …

In Crypto We Trust: A Cross-National Comparison Of Factors Affecting Trust In Cryptocurrencies, Arif Perdana, W. Eric Lee, Chu Yeong Lim, Gary Pan, Poh Sun Seow

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Background: Trust in cryptocurrencies is a complex and evolving construct influenced by technological, economic, and social factors. Unlike traditional information systems that rely on institutional trust, cryptocurrency users often depend on underlying technology and community insights. Despite growing interest, existing research has primarily focused on narrow aspects of trust, with limited cross-national perspectives and comprehensive models.

Method: This study investigates how geographic differences impact user trust in cryptocurrencies by surveying 644 respondents from China, Germany, and the USA. Drawing on established trust formation theories, it utilizes a comprehensive model encompassing technological, economic, and social factors.

Results: Our analysis reveals multiple …

Sparse-Data Orbit Estimation In Low Earth Orbit Using The Markov Chain Monte Carlo Ensemble Gaussian Mixture Filter, Nicholas J. Oden

Master's Theses

The number of space objects (SOs) in low Earth orbit (LEO) continues to increase rapidly, creating challenges for the current ground-based tracking network, which cannot accommodate the projected growth in SOs. Catalog maintenance relies on frequent observations for reliable reacquisition, with Two-Line Element (TLE) sets typically generated daily to mitigate rapid error growth from poor TLE accuracy. This constraint limits the ability to track more objects with existing infrastructure. This work evaluates the Markov Chain Monte Carlo Ensemble Gaussian Mixture Filter (MCMC EnGMF), a nonlinear, non-Gaussian filter well-suited for sparse tracking scenarios where higher post-update accuracy is needed to reduce …

The Crisis Of Safety, Well-Being, And Belonging Facing Lgbtq Children: Mad/Crip Of Color Critique Towards A Curriculum Of Radical Care, Jameson Goetz

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In this thesis, I turn toward the study of educational experience, defined broadly to include lived experiences both within and outside of formal schooling institutions. I approach curriculum as an ongoing project of self-understanding in which one becomes mobilized for engaged pedagogical action alongside others in the pursuit social justice. I am guided by the following question, foundational to the field of curriculum studies: for those of us who work alongside LGBTQ children, what knowledge is of most worth? Critically reflecting on ways of working alongside LGBTQ children in the pursuit of social justice, I formulate a mad/crip of color …

Large Lithium-Ion Battery Model For Secure Shared E-Bike Battery In Smart Cities, Donghui Ding, Zhao Li, Linhao Luo, Ming Jin, Bin Zhu, Yichen Zhong, Junhao Hu, Peng Cai, Huiqi Hu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Electric bikes powered by lithium-ion batteries are increasingly used in smart cities to promote sustainable mobility and efficient delivery services. However, limited battery range and slow plug-in charging remain key challenges. Shared electric bike battery systems, facilitated by battery swapping stations, offer a promising solution by enabling quick and efficient battery replacements. However, their success hinges on accurate anomaly detection, battery health estimation and remain range prediction. These tasks remain challenging due to data scarcity, battery diversity and environmental variability. Here we show that a large-scale lithium-ion battery model trained on over ten million battery time series data enables robust …

Non-Perturbative Aspects Of Gauge Theories Through A Complex Parametrization, Antonina Maj

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation explores a complex matrix parametrization of four-dimensional non-Abelian gauge theories as a means of gaining analytical insights into (3+1)-dimensional QCD. The low-energy scale of non-Abelian gauge theories remains an elusive area of research even after decades of work. A key challenge lies in identifying physical, gauge-invariant degrees of freedom that are relevant to non-perturbative phenomena. In this dissertation we develop a complex parametrization of gauge fields on which gauge transformations act homogeneously, thereby enabling a manifestly gauge-invariant analytical formulation of the theory.

Chapter one constructs the complex gauge-invariant parametrization for gauge theories living on both complex projective space …

From Sequence To Allostery: How Amino Acid Differences Rewire Coupled Conformational Heterogeneity In The Ptp Enzyme Family, Shivani Sharma

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases (PTPs) are critical regulators of cellular signaling, and their activity is often modulated through allosteric mechanisms. Allostery is defined as a chemical or conformational change in one site of the protein due to a binding event at another site. Although several studies have investigated aspects of allostery in PTPs, the mechanistic foundations underlying allosteric regulation remain poorly understood. Despite a highly conserved catalytic domain across PTPs, regions with low or no conservation suggest potential "rewiring" of allosteric networks. This raises key questions about the universality versus individuality of allosteric mechanisms across the PTP family.

In this work, …

The Evolution And Reproduction Of Andean Miconia (Melastomataceae), Juan Angulo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Understanding the factors that shape diversification and distribution in tropical plant lineages is central to explaining the origins of Neotropical biodiversity. Assessing evolutionary history with trait evolution and climatic niche dynamics provides key insights into the drivers of diversification and biogeography, while natural history data remains critical for these evolutionary studies. The Tropical Andes, with its exceptional biodiversity and environmental heterogeneity, offers an ideal setting to explore these processes. In this dissertation, I investigate how reproductive systems, climatic niche dynamics, and pollination strategies influence the evolution and biogeography of Miconia III, a large and ecologically diverse clade in the …